The present invention relates generally to load carriers, and more specifically to bicycle carriers designed to transport bicycle(s) in an upright orientation, preferably in a roof-mount configuration above a transporting vehicle.
Roof mounted load carriers are well known in the load carrier arts for carrying different types of cargo. In the case of sports equipment which is often too large to fit inside the carrying vehicle, specially configured carriers have been designed for transporting the bicycles in an upright configuration above the roof of the vehicle. Considering currently available designs, there are several deficiencies which can cause consumers to avoid their use. Most of these deficiencies stem from the location of roof-mounted carriers; by their nature, they are often difficult to reach by the average user because of the significant height above ground level at which they are positioned. In order to install a bicycle in such a roof-top carrier, the user must raise the bicycle at least to shoulder height, and oftentimes, overhead lifting is even required depending upon the user""s height.
Even though many bicycles are now of lightweight design, their remaining weight and bulk can be unwieldy and difficulty to control in this awkward lifting procedure that must be executed by the user. Still further, it should be appreciated that in order to position the bicycle above the vehicle and onto the roof-top carrier, it is usually required that the arms of the user be in an almost fully extended position, not only because of the height of the carrier, but also in order to move the bicycle, at the elevated height, from the side of the vehicle where the user is standing, to the load position over the vehicle""s roof surface.
In conventionally designed roof-top bicycle carriers, once a bicycle is located in the carrier above the roof, the user must maintain a grip on the bicycle to maintain its balance in the upright position while securement mechanisms are fastened thereto. This can present extreme hardship not only because of the awkward position at which the bicycle is positioned with respect to the user, but also because both hands are typically otherwise needed to manipulate the securing mechanisms. Requiring one hand to be utilized just to maintain the balance and orientation of the bicycle is a significant drawback to the user when these conventional roof-top carrier designs are considered.
In another aspect, conventionally designed roof-top bicycle carriers are asymmetrically constructed. That is to say, a particular carrier has been designed to be mounted on one side of the vehicle, and not the other. This stems from the fact that fastening actuators are positioned at the side of the carrier so that they are easier to reach from the position of the user beside the vehicle. The drawback of providing this convenience to the user, however, is that the utilization of the carrier is in turn limited. More particularly the carrier is not interchangeable with respect to the two sides of the vehicle; form either of which the user may desire to load a bicycle. Still further. many current designs for roof-top carriers place the actuating mechanisms high, at locations difficult to reach and manipulate by the user.
Because roof-top bicycle carriers typically have wheel trays in which a carried bicycle rests, securement is often accomplished by fasteners secured about the wheels and tray. This type of securement leaves the bicycle at risk of unauthorized removal. In most bicycle designs, quick releases are provided for removing at least the front wheel and can actually facilitate an authorized removal of the bicycle from such tray securement schemes.
In view of the above described deficiencies associated with the use of known methods and designs for roof-top, upright bicycle carriers, the present invention has been developed. These remedial aspects, as well as further enhancements and benefits are described in greater detail hereinbelow with respect to several alternative embodiments of the present invention.
The present invention in its several disclosed embodiments alleviates the drawbacks described above with respect to the conventionally designed roof-top, upright bicycle carriers, while at the same time providing several additionally beneficial features. Each of the deficient aspects of conventional designs described hereinabove are addressed by the present carrier. Initially, a trap space is utilized in the carrier and in which, once a bicycle is installed, its upright orientation is independently maintained. This accomplishes one of the most consumer influential benefits of the present carrier; that is, after the bicycle is installed, the user may release the bicycle altogether thereby freeing both hands so that the securement and locking procedures can be focused upon. No longer does the user have to perform a balancing act with respect to the bicycle while trying to fasten the securement and lock mechanisms.
The present carrier is designed to have a substantially symmetrical design. In this regard, actuating mechanisms are provided on both sides of the carrier so that the carrier can be located at either side of the vehicle""s roof. This also avoids the user having to reach across the carrier to execute securing and releasing procedures. As a further accommodation, the portions of the actuating mechanisms which must be grasped by the user are positioned in an easy xe2x80x9creach zone.xe2x80x9d That is, the actuating mechanisms are positioned low on the carrier, close to the roof-top surface of the vehicle enabling easy reach by the user. This reach zone is generally considered to be within one to eight inches of the roof rack members to which the carrier is mounted.
In another aspect, the design of the present invention maintains the wheel receiving tray of the carrier clear during the initial stages of installing the bicycle into the carrier so that the rolling capability of the bicycle can be capitalized upon in the loading process. An often complained about condition is that the tray of conventional roof-top bicycle carriers is obstructed during the loading process and therefore the bicycle cannot be rolled in the track into proper position for securement. Because the brace component of the current invention is configured for a conformance fit down into the wheel tray during initial load, the bicycle does not have to be positioned with exactness into its final resting position. In fact, the bicycle can be initially loaded at any location along the tray and rolled into proper position over the wheel engaging portion of the bracing arrangement and into the trap space for securement.
In yet another aspect, lock mechanisms are provided not only for securing the carrier to the rack system of the carrying vehicle, but cable locks are also provided so that a securement cable can be snaked or looped through the bicycle and then locked to the load carrier. In a preferred embodiment, these functions are combined at a single flip-handle component. At a minimum, however, if more than one lock assembly is utilized, the several lock cylinders are commonly keyed so that the user only needs a single key for unlocking both the bicycle securement and the carrier securement arrangements.
Hereinbelow, several illustrative embodiments and preferred aspects of the present invention are described. Individually and collectively, each should be considered in their exemplary capacity, and not as requirements outside of those expressly required in the claims appended herewith.
In at least one embodiment, the present invention takes the form of a method for transporting a bicycle in a substantially upright orientation. The method includes positioning a bicycle in a carrier so that a wheel of the bicycle is located in a trap space of the carrier. In this regard, it should be appreciated that bicycle wheels are predominantly referenced herein with respect to the invention; it should be understood that usually full wheel assemblies are intended by this terminology, including a pneumatic tire. The trap space is configured to maintain the bicycle in a substantially upright orientation when the wheel is located therein and the carrier is still in a released configuration. This permits the operator to use both hands to secure the bicycle in the carrier. The wheel of the bicycle, most typically the front wheel of the bicycle, is fixed in the carrier by applying a squeeze force upon the wheel which establishes a securing configuration of the carrier. Preferably, the squeeze force is imposed across a perimeter of the wheel and the actuators for imposing the squeeze force are located low enough to be within the typical user""s reach. The suitable area in which the actuators may be located is referred to as the reach zone. In general terms, the reach zone is defined as a vertical distance between one and eight inches above a load bars of the vehicle""s rack system to which the carrier is mounted.
Preferably, a pair of actuators are provided, one each on opposite lateral sides of the carrier and each is capable of independently imposing a proper squeeze force on the wheel of the bicycle. In this way, installation of the carrier is accommodated at either side of the carrying vehicle and the user is prevented from having to reach across the carrier for actuation purposes, regardless of the side of the vehicle upon which the carrier is mounted.
The squeeze force is imposed so that a predominant component of the squeeze force is vertically oriented and downwardly directed in the securing configuration. In this manner, the support of the tray in which the trapped wheel rests is advantageously utilized in establishing the trap space.
The trap space is defined, at least partially, underneath a trap arrangement that is configured to be manipulated between released and securing configurations. The trap arrangement includes a closed-top portion that is arranged for pressing engagement upon the wheel. As illustrated, the closed-top portion is substantially formed as an inverted U-shaped assembly.
A telescoping function is provided in the trap arrangement thereby facilitating extension and retraction of a bite portion of the closed-top portion for transitioning the trap arrangement between the released and securing configurations. As shown, an extension member is telescopically positioned within a sleeve and an actuator is utilized to translate the extension member within the sleeve for transitioning the trap arrangement between the released and securing configurations.
Telescopic action of the extension member is driven by pivotal movement of the actuator. The sleeve is provided with an access slot therethrough for accommodating extension of the actuator across the sleeve to the extension member. The extension member is spring biased within the sleeve for assuring proper relative positioning between the extension member and the sleeve to for initial engagement of the actuator with the extension member. An insert pin is provided on the actuator and is configured to extend across the access slot and be insertibly engaged in a receiving aperture in the extension member. The spring bias function is tuned to assure proper alignment between the access slot and the receiving aperture for acceptance of the insert pin.
To optimize user operation of the actuator, an indicator is utilized showing an intended area of application of a user""s hand grip upon the actuator. Preferably, the indicator is configured like a bicycle handlebar-style grip. An end cap portion of the indicator fixedly connects to a wheel engaging portion of a bracing arrangement of the carrier and pivotally connects to a support portion of the bracing arrangement. These connections facilitate transition between the released, the securing and a non-bicycle-transporting, folded-down configuration of the carrier.
The trap arrangement includes a macro-adjustment arrangement adapted to be variously configured for accommodating entrapment of differently sized bicycle wheels. A macro-adjustment member of the arrangement is configured for sliding movement within the trap arrangement between a plurality of indicated discreet locations, each of such locations being arranged to accommodate application of a substantially uniform squeeze force upon differently sized bicycle wheel. A stop arrangement is provided at the macro-adjustment member for relatively fixing the member with respect to the trap arrangement. The adjustment may be continuously variable, but is preferably limited to discreet and selectable locations. In the instance of discreet locations, a pin-in-selected-aperture mechanism may be advantageously utilized.
The trap space is at least partially defined adjacent to a bracing arrangement that is also configured to be manipulated between released and securing configurations. A brace force is imposed on the bicycle wheel having a first component that is vertically oriented and directed upwardly. A second component is horizontally oriented and directed toward the trap arrangement. The bracing arrangement has a wheel engaging portion that is arranged for pressing engagement upon the wheel. In a preferred embodiment, the wheel engaging portion is formed from a band having sufficient width to avoid becoming embedded in the wheel""s tire tread.
The actuator is arranged between the bracing arrangement and the trap arrangement and is configured to transition both the bracing arrangement and the trap arrangement between released and securing configurations. The bracing arrangement is controlled utilizing a ratchet mechanism that is configured to fix the bracing arrangement in the securing configuration under a biasing action imposed by the squeezed wheel. This biasing action is derived from the reaction or spring-back force of the wheel and tire responsive to the squeeze force being exerted thereupon by the trap and bracing arrangements.
The bracing arrangement is configured so that in a bicycle receiving configuration, at least a portion of the arrangement fits substantially flush within the wheel receiving tray thereby permitting rolling access of the wheel into and out of the trap space during initial load and final unload stages.
A lock arrangement is provided that secures the carrier to a load bar of a carrying vehicle and anchors a securing cable connectable through the bicycle. If one locking mechanism is utilized, then of course only one key is required for operation of the lock. If more than one lock mechanism is utilized, however, the several lock arrangements are commonly keyed so that still, only one key is required for performing all unlocking functions of the total lock arrangement.
The beneficial aspects described above apply generally to the exemplary devices and methods disclosed herein regarding the upright bicycle carrier. The specific structures and steps through which these benefits are delivered will be described hereinbelow.